Road to Orlando is Underway
Several college matches have already taken place at the Campus
Brian Ormiston | January 21, 2019
When the first ball was struck on Jan. 16 between the men of Texas and Mississippi, it signified the start of the college season at the USTA National Campus. The action then picked up over the MLK weekend as the men's teams of BYU, California, Florida Atlantic, Florida State and UNCW all took the courts as well.
Every school is eyeing a run at the NCAA Division I Championships, which is set for May 16-26 and will be held at the Campus for the first time.
The talent on display all weekend during the USTA National Campus Collegiate Series started immediately with impressive doubles play from UNC Wilmington and Florida Atlantic on Jan. 19. Even though UNCW won the doubles point, FAU climbed back for a 4-3 victory and a memorable celebration for the Owls.
BYU was up next for FAU later that afternoon, and this time it was the Cougars who knocked off the Owls, 4-2.
The following day, the weather switched from warm and sunny to cool and breezy for California vs. Florida State. That spawned off another tight affair as the Seminoles edged the Bears, 4-3.
“We always enjoy playing down here, it’s been a great venue for us. We actually call it Lake ‘Nolena.’ I think our guys get inspired to play here,” said FSU head coach Dwayne Hultquist, who has coached multiple matches at the Campus since it opened in 2017. “Cal played a great match and really took it to us early. It took a lot for us to come back. I think it showed that we are never out of a match. But we always like the environment here and it’s very professional with how it’s run.”
Action concluded on Jan. 21 where the trend of close matches continued and another big celebration took place. This time it was UNCW which erased a 2-0 deficit for a 4-3 triumph over BYU.
Fans should buckle up because College MatchDay is quickly approaching. The series gets underway with the men of Florida and Florida State colliding on Tennis Channel on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. Tickets are free but must be obtained on Ticketmaster.com. Once the venue is at capacity, tickets will no longer be available. More information can be found at USTANationalCampus.com.